Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.
National median · BLS
$93,330
▲ +8.36%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$102,420
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
13,500
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Emergency Management Directors
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$54,210
25th
$67,910
Median (50th)
$93,330
75th
$126,490
90th — top pay
$166,430
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
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Weekly—
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Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Emergency Management Directors
BLS projects employment of emergency management directors to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 1,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
14,000 → 14,500
+500 jobs
Projected change
+3.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Plus 5 years or more experience
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Emergency Management Directors salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Emergency Management Directors
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Service Orientation4.3
Complex Problem Solving4.1
Speaking4.1
Active Listening4.0
Coordination4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Judgment and Decision Making4.0
Monitoring4.0
Reading Comprehension4.0
Social Perceptiveness4.0
Top knowledge areas
Public Safety and Security4.7
Administration and Management4.2
Law and Government4.2
Communications and Media4.0
English Language4.0
Customer and Personal Service3.9
Telecommunications3.9
Education and Training3.9
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointESRI ArcGIS softwareMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WordAlert Technologies OpsCenterDigital Engineering Corporation E-MAPSEmergency Managers Weather Information Network EMWINEmergency Services Integrators ESi WebEOCFederal Emergency Management Information System FEMISGeographic information system GIS softwareGraphics softwareIBM Lotus NotesMapInfo ProfessionalMcAfeeNational Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination NC4 E Team
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What emergency management directors do
Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.
Develop and perform tests and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations.
Collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies.
Also called
Emergency Management DirectorEmergency Management System Director (EMS Director)Emergency PlannerPublic Safety Director911 Communications ManagerEmergency Management CoordinatorEmergency ManagerEmergency Preparedness ManagerEmergency Services DirectorEmergency Services Program Coordinator
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Emergency Management Directors, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $93,330.
